BP

How Do We Co-Operate With God's Work of Renovation is Our Lives?

Firstly, let go of the past. See yesterday's post.

Secondly, deal with what is happening today.

God is more interested in who we are becoming (our character) than what we are doing for him (our achievements). So what is God up to in your life right now? Not everything that happens to us has to have some deep and meaningful reason … but what are we learning? This season you are in right now is only one chapter in your life – it is not the whole story. But why not get the most out of it.

Is there some conflict resolution that you need to work towards. Has someone offended you that you need to GO and speak with? Matthew 18:15 is one of the most disobeyed commands of Jesus and it causes great damage in our relationships. Sadly, we are much better at speaking 'about people' than we are at speaking 'to people'. Don’t carry other people’s offences either. What a waste of energy that is.

Be open to feedback. We all have blindspots and weaknesses. The sooner we discover and admit them, the sooner we can work on them. Don't be defensive. All of us should still be growing and changing. 

Integrity is another area of character development. Integrity means that there is an 'integration' between what people see on the outside (the impressions we give) and who we are when no one is looking (our true self). For most of us there are some gaps between the two and so our integrity becomes a focus of God's renovation work. 

Integrity in relationships refers to how we treat those who are not present. If someone you know bad-mouths another person in front of you, you can guarantee that they will most likely bad-mouth you to someone else at a future time. Come on, you know what I mean. Every time you speak about someone, imagine that they are in the room and let this awareness shape what you do and don't say about that person. This builds trust and nothing moves faster than the speed of trust. Where there is trust that has been built over time because of integrity in our relationships, there is warmth and genuine love and much can be achieved together. Where there is a lack of integrity due to people saying one thing to a person's face but talking negatively about them behind their back or down the hallway, there will be low or no trust. Relationships become unenjoyable and nothing much will be accomplished. 

Key Personal Interview Question: “What area of my life is God putting his finger on right now, drawing my attention to it, because there is some renovation that is needed?”

Some final thoughts tomorrow …